Peer Pitch West

Sebastopol Center for the Arts, 282 S. High Street, Sebastopol, CA 95472, United States

Registration Information

Feedback-Giver/Observer Spot (Peer Pitch IE1-1271)

$50

Sale Ends: Mar 22, 2018 5:00 PM PDT

You may pay either by credit card or PayPal via the "Paypal" payment button or you may pay by check.
If you have a film in this year's festival or are a festival passholder, you may attend this program for free. Please use the Promo Code which was provided to you by the festival.

You may pay either by credit card or PayPal via the "Paypal" payment button or you may pay by check.
If you have a film in this year's festival or are a festival passholder, you may attend this program for free. Please use the Promo Code which was provided to you by the festival.

Full payment must be RECEIVED to get a pitching slot. You may pay either by credit card or PayPal via the "Paypal" payment button or you may pay by check.
Since we have a limited number of pitching slots, no discounts or waivers can be offered. Up to two people can represent each project.

Full payment must be RECEIVED to get a pitching slot. You may pay either by credit card or PayPal via the "Paypal" payment button or you may pay by check.
Since we have a limited number of pitching slots, no discounts or waivers can be offered. Up to two people can represent each project.

Please note: While pitching spots are now on waitlist, you can still register to provide feedback to other filmmakers. If you also want to pitch, please join the waitlist but, keep in mind, that the only cancellations we have had in the past have been due to unforeseen circumstances such as illness or a death in the family, so notifications of getting off the waitlist may be very last minute.

Are you a documentary filmmaker with a work-in-progress at any stage of development? Are you looking for a supportive environment to give your pitch a test run? Or do you want to help support your fellow filmmakers by providing them feedback?

Docs In Progress, in partnership with the Sebastopol Documentary Film Festival and The D-Word, is pleased to present the seventh annual Peer Pitch West, a project dedicated to extending the craft of documentary filmmaking by giving filmmakers access to creative feedback in a supporting and collaborative environment.

This program will give up to eight documentary filmmakers of all experience levels the opportunity to present new projects to fellow filmmakers and passholders for feedback, and for all attending to gain valuable insights and new connections which can guide their own filmmaking.
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Peer Pitch takes place at the Sebastopol Documentary Film Festival on Friday, March 23 from 10:00 am - 4:00 pm. While it is being programmed as part of the festival, you do not have to have a film in the festival to participate. Sebastopol is only 90 minutes drive north of San Francisco and Oakland. Travel to the festival would be at your own expense, but we highly recommend it since it is an excellent documentary festival, a town full of hospitality, and in the midst of beautiful Sonoma County.

WHY PARTICIPATE IN PEER PITCH?
Constructive feedback from other filmmakers in a nurturing environment will help to identify strengths and areas for improvement in projects. Participants will also develop skills and comfort in verbally describing their projects among peers before trying their pitches out on industry.

Films which have been presented at past Peer Pitch workshops when they were in their early stages have gone on to be funded by Sundance Documentary Fund, ITVS, Garrett Scott Development Grant; been accepted into industry pitching opportunities such as IFP’s Independent Film Week, HotDocs Forum, DocsBarcelona, and Points North Pitch; and have gone on to play festivals, television, and community screenings around the world. Participants have also made connections with other filmmakers which have led to later collaborations. Some of the films which have come through Peer Pitch have included Let the Fire Burn, Slingshot, Kandahar Journals, Sweetheart Deal, Big Sonia, Out in the Silence, Deej, Indivisible, The New Woman, The Lost Dream, and Uranium Drive-In.

New in 2018: One or more promising pitches will get an opportunity to pitch again at an industry event in Washington DC in Fall 2018 with travel paid for one member of the pitching team to attend and pitch for industry.

WHO MAY ATTEND?
Participation is open to any filmmaker who has a documentary project he or she would like to discuss. Projects may be at any stage of development. In the past, both experienced filmmakers and first time filmmakers have pitched their docs in progress. In true democratic fashion, pitching slots are available on a first registered, first accepted basis.

There will also be spots for filmmakers who want to attend and give feedback to their colleagues or observer the process, but don’t necessarily have a project to share. If you are a filmmaker with a film at the festival or a festival passholder, you must register separately for Peer Pitch, but will receive a fee waiver. Due to the limited number of pitching spots, we cannot offer a waiver if you wish to pitch.

LOGISTICS
Those pitching will need to provide an .mp4 or .mov file of their film one week prior to the program. We will follow up with you on how/where to send this.

We will send an e-mail to everyone signed up with the exact building and room number close to the date.

Fee includes coffee. Lunch will be on your own (there are places within easy walking distance).

This program is made possible in part through the support of the National Endowment for the Arts.

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PAYMENTFull payment must be received in order to hold a spot in Peer Pitch. If you are paying by credit card or PayPal, please select "PayPal" as the option (you do not need to have a PayPal account). If you do not feel comfortable paying online, you may send a check made payable to "Docs In Progress" with the title of the program noted in the memo line. Mail to Docs In Progress, 801 Wayne Avenue, Suite G-100, Silver Spring, MD 20910. We cannot hold pitching spots until payment is received.

REFUND POLICYIf your circumstances change and you must withdraw from a class after registering, please be aware of our refund policy:Withdrawal 30 or more calendar days before the first day of a program: 75% refundWithdrawal 11-29 calendar days before the first day of a program: 50% refundWithdrawal 10 or fewer calendar days before a program: No refund

WEATHER POLICYIn the event of inclement weather which would impede safe travel, we will make a decision by 6 pm the prior day on whether to cancel the program. If you have not received a notification from your instructor, call our office at 301-789-2797 (we will have an outgoing message on voicemail).

Location

Sebastopol Documentary Film Festival Sebastopol Center for the Arts, 282 S. High Street, Sebastopol, CA 95472, United States